Busting the Brass Ceiling: How a Heroic Female Cop Changed the Face of Policing

by Fanchon Blake, Linden Gross, Joseph Wambaugh (Foreword by)

Overview

A policewoman chronicles her historic legal battle against sexism within the LAPD in this “valuable . . . and at times, frightening” memoir (Kirkus Reviews).

Former Army major Fanchon Blake dreamed of becoming a top cop. She joined the LAPD in 1948, confident that her efforts and talent would be rewarded. Instead, despite long hours and high achievement ratings, Blake—like all other women on the force—was denied promotion time and again.

Over the years, the tenacious officer challenged the LAPD’s discriminatory agenda from within. Eventually, she broke the “blue wall of silence” by going to the press. And when all else failed, Blake saw one last chance to effect change: she filed a complaint against the LAPD with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1973.

What followed was a harrowing struggle against discrimination that would make history for women and other minority groups. Despite the ensuing verbal abuse, silent treatment, and intimidation, Blake pushed on. Seven years later, her heroic efforts would finally make it possible for women to bust through the brass ceiling.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504096713
Publisher:	Open Road Media
Publication date:	09/10/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	228
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Fanchon Blake joined the LAPD in 1948, determined to rise in the ranks despite rampant gender discrimination. Blake’s persistence resulted in a promotion to sergeant after nearly two decades of service, but when official policy denied her any further advancement, she took the LAPD to court. Her resulting historic legal victory would affect police departments around the country.
 
Linden Gross is a bestselling author and co-author. The ghostwriter for Julia “Butterfly” Hill’s national bestseller The Legacy of Luna, Gross has also written books on experiencing stalking, including Surviving a Stalker and To Have or to Harm.
 
Fanchon Blake joined the LAPD in 1948, determined to rise in the ranks despite rampant gender discrimination. Blake’s persistence resulted in a promotion to sergeant after nearly two decades of service, but when official policy denied her any further advancement, she took the LAPD to court. Her resulting historic legal victory would affect police departments around the country.
Linden Gross is a bestselling author and co-author. The ghostwriter for Julia “Butterfly” Hill’s national bestseller The Legacy of Luna, Gross has also written books on experiencing stalking, including Surviving a Stalker and To Have or to Harm.
The son of a policeman, Joseph Wambaugh (b. 1937) began his writing career while a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. He joined the LAPD in 1960 after three years in the Marine Corps, and rose to the rank of detective sergeant before retiring in 1974. His first novel, The New Centurions (1971), was a quick success, drawing praise for its realistic action and intelligent characterization, and was adapted into a feature film starring George C. Scott. He followed it up with The Blue Knight (1972), which was adapted into a mini-series starring William Holden and Lee Remick. Since then Wambaugh has continued writing about the LAPD. He has been credited with a realistic portrayal of police officers, showing them not as superheroes but as men struggling with a difficult job, a depiction taken mainstream by television’s Police Story, which Wambaugh helped create in the mid-1970s. In addition to novels, Wambaugh has written nonfiction, winning a special Edgar Award for 1974’s The Onion Field, an account of the longest criminal trial in California history. His most recent work is the novel Hollywood Moon (2010).